One Smart Green Code
The Town of Bluffton Unified Development Ordinance states: “Native and regionally appropriate plant species are required. Invasive species, as identified by the U.S. Forest Service or Clemson University, are prohibited from being planted in the town of Bluffton. Further, … Bluffton encourages the replacement of invasive species with desirable hardwood species.” Beaufort County has a least 14 varieties of oaks. Southern magnolias are the naturally occurring accent tree, with wax myrtle, saw palmetto and dwarf palmetto supplying the understory. Vinca minor, Confederate jasmine and saw palmetto are the low ground covers in village right-of-ways.
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The Owego Riverwalk - Susquehanna River Trail Connects Ahwaga Park and Draper Park
Owego, New York has long thrived on a rich history and connection to the Susquehanna River. Although this symbiotic relationship was critical in the economic and social development of this small upstate New York community, over the years the strength of this connection waned. It was from this historical desire to reconnect the village to the river once again that the Owego Riverwalk grew.
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Going Old School
Western Reserve Feel for Gates Mills, Ohio Residential Hardscape
Indigenous stone columns support the hand-hewn gate. Bent horseshoes serve as gate handles. Climbing hydrangeas decorate the walls. The antique, hand-chiseled horse watering trough is believed to have been built in Northern France, based on the carving style. It was shipped to England at some point before ending up in the U.S. The five tie holes are well worn from years of people tying their horses to the trough. It was replumbed with an old kitchen hand pump to a fresh water source so that the local horses and dogs can quench their thirsts.
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National Center for Climate and Weather Prediction
The circular drop-off area in front of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration complex in College Park, Maryland has 4-inch ‘gray granite cobbles’ laid in a radial pattern. Based on durability, economics and flexibility of material, 4 x 8-inch grey and white concrete pavers in a herringbone pattern dominate the main pedestrian entrance plaza of the building. Where the two colors meet, a row of soldier course pavers creates a crisp transition from one color to the other. The plaza is bookended along the building and just behind the bollards at the drop off with 18 by 30-inch green slate pavers. Purple love grass and a sedum mix are growing on the berms. Base-level groundcovers are liriope and cotoneaster; the youthful trees are honeylocusts.
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Technical Marvel’s Shortcoming
In The Heights: Anatomy of a Skyscraperwww.amazon.com/Heights-Anatomy-Skyscraper-Kate-Ascher/dp/1594203032, author Kate Ascher notes Dubai brought in the world's best architects and engineers to build the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world (2,716.5 feet and 160 stories). Despite it impressive edifice, the structure lacks a sewage infrastructure! Trucks haul away sewage from the skyscraper and queue up at a water treatment plant, sometimes waiting a full day to deliver their loads. More

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WeedAlert.com Updated And Improved

WeedAlert.com, an online weed identification and control resource has undergone a redesign, which includes detailed color photos of 109 weeds, allowing landscape maintenance professionals to search and identify weeds by name, appearance or region.
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Fences, Walls, & Gates Showcase
For this Williamsburg, Virginia project, Mid Atlantic had to clear-cut the entire backyard and remove more than 3,000 cubic yards of earth. To accommodate the elevation changes of the property and support the ADA compliant ramp, workers constructed two walls using Rediscapes Wall Block. The project took six workers 10 weeks to complete (2,400 man-hours).
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Lighting Up DC
Each summer, the luxurious Sofitel Hotel on Lafayette Square in downtown Washington DC, creates an outdoor oasis on the broad sidewalks of 15th Street. Landscape Contractor Outdoor Illumination was contacted and charged with creating atmospheric lighting that employed unobtrusive fixtures that could be integrated into a deck.More

Water, Water Everywhere
The fountain circle covers a 12-foot radius, and is made from Ancient Stone pavers installed over concrete. Workers built the fountain tower using CMU block construction, and then covered it with faux stone veneer and precast concrete scuppers. The stainless steel cap was placed on top of the precast concrete and to finish the area, sandblast-finished precast-concrete bollards surrounding the circle were installed.
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The Sony Rainbow Project
The contractor planted a wide mix of material to meet the site’s low-water usage mandate. This included Leymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prine’, Heuchera spp, Carpenteria californica ‘Elizabeth’, Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’, and Iris douglasiana. The plant material is irrigated by a drip-line system installed prior to planting.
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Sound Wall Solutions
Sound walls are barriers that reduce noise pollution from roads, industrial areas and other sources. While useful in some circumstances, installers should be aware of potential negative impacts, including blocked scenery, cost of installation, and maintenance and drainage concerns.
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Brick Award Spotlight: Carmel City Center
The project’s design team, led by Pedcor Design Group (PDG), chose clay pavers for the plazas, streets, and public ways to match the brick on the exterior walls of the surrounding buildings. Seismic design considerations required separating the buildings from walkways and streets, and setting the parking garage below an elevated plaza deck.
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December Decline Dulls Healing Housing Sales

Despite the new home sales rate’s decline in December, 2012 was the best year for housing sales and construction since the market decline that precipitated the recession. More

Self-Healing Concrete Nears Real-World Debut

Purdue University graduate students (from left) Paul Imbrock, Kambiz Raoufi and John Schlitter pour concrete for further tests of their “internally cured” mixture, which appears to extend and improve the life of concrete bridges and structures. More

Construction Job Growth Expected into 2013
Texas added the most construction jobs and Nebraska added the highest percentage year-over-year in 2012, while Rhode Island reported the largest annual and monthly decline.
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AASHTO Director HonoredAASHTO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing highway and transportation departments in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Its primary goal is to foster the development, operation, and maintenance of an integrated national transportation system.
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NRMCA: Preparing for Natural Disasters

Founded in 1930, the NRMCA provides its members with education, research, engineering, safety, environmental, technological, lobbying and regulatory programs to enhance the profitability and professionalism of the industry.More

GCSAA: 2012 Environmental Leader AwardsFounded in 1926, the GCSAA is a professional association for the men and women who manage golf courses in the United States and worldwide. They provide education, information and representation to nearly 18,000 members in more than 72 countries.
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ASLA & NPS Celebrate a Year

In 2000, the American Society of Landscape Architects and the National Park Service formalized a partnership to help communities across the nation plan, design, and manage their natural, cultural, and recreation resources.
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Knowing where to look for accessibility “hot spots” and knowing what to do about them can be a big relief to proactive playground owners concerned about accessibility on their playgrounds.
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Pruning Shears for Landscapers

Zenport Q64 7-inch secateurs are pruning shears designed for intensive commercial use, and are ideal for landscapers, arborists, and arboriculturists. Ergonomically shaped, hardened steel handles for superior strength while still remaining light and well balanced in the hand.
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Liberty Tire Recycling Earns GreenGuard Synthetic Turf Certification for Infill
Liberty Tire Recycling, the premier provider of tire recycling services in North America, is the first and only company to achieve GreenGuard Synthetic Turf Certification from the GreenGuard Environmental Institute.
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Bayer MaterialScience Teams up with UCLA
UCLA Extension’s Landscape Architecture Program focuses on design theory and technical skills and taught by working professionals. Perfect for working adults with evening and weekend classes at Westwood and Downtown LA campuses.
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Pave Tech
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Ventrac Qualifies for PERCs
The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) has recently qualified Ventrac 4500Z bi-fuel ready tractor for the Propane Mower Incentive Program. This incentive program gives eligible new owners of a 4500Z, equipped with a propane kit . . .More

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Detroit Plans to Lease Belle Isle Park to the State
Detroit purchased Belle Isle in 1879 for $200,000, and in 1883, Frederick Law Olmstead created the master plan for the island. The island sits within the Detroit River, a 28-mile long busy freighter traffic waterway that separates Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. The island has great views of Detroit, Windsor, Ontario and the Ambassador Bridge.
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Green Roofs: A Growing Business
The Durst Organization says it will spend between $750,000 and $1 million to install more than an acre of green space atop its Midtown Manhattan buildings. The company’s commercial portfolio includes One Bryant Park, One World Trade Center and Four Times Square, among others.
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The Great Wall of Fort Lincoln
Located in Washington DC’s Fort Lincoln neighborhood, the Dakota Crossing project included five wall segments totaling 21,000 square feet to support the 42-acre retail project. On the 28-foot high hill, the contractor planted one plug in each brick module. The material included Virginia Bluestem, Muhly Grass, and Fountain Grass plants. This material was chosen for its high evapotranspiration characteristics and aesthetic appeal. In preparation for the plant material, workers packed in more than 800 cubic yards of specialized bioretention planting soil.
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Colored Rubber Mulch and Nuggets
Showing the many uses of recycled rubber, Squire Creek playground has shredded rubber that comes in a variety of colors and blends.
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The Digital Issues are Available

The January issue of LASN is available online!
To view the complete issue
click here.
To view the table of contents
click here.